Ron and the others immediately understood what George meant without him having to explain further.
Just looking at Malfoy's attitude toward Hermione made it easy to imagine how rough Professor Charles Gold's own days in Slytherin must have been back then. It had only been a few short years since Voldemort's downfall, and the pure-blood families who had supported him were at their most hostile toward Muggle-borns.
But now? People were starting to speak of Professor Gold on the same level as Dumbledore himself.
"It just goes to show that being Muggle-born doesn't decide whether someone can be great," Ron said, for once speaking words that carried genuine emotion. "Those naturally evil Slytherin brats who called Professor Gold a Mudblood probably never imagined they'd end up being trampled underfoot. If you ask me, they're the real mud."
"Thank you, Ron," Hermione said softly, touched.
Truth be told, the word Mudblood didn't sting her as deeply as others might think. A word she hadn't grown up hearing simply couldn't provoke that much emotion—especially when it came from Malfoy's mouth.
But Ron standing up for her, even nearly drawing his wand to duel Malfoy over it—that truly moved her.
Still, Ron's view of Slytherin was as extreme as ever. He leaned closer to Hermione and muttered, "Honestly, I think you should just do what the Professor did—knock them all flat."
"What? Of course not! That's against school rules!" Hermione exclaimed.
"The Professor doesn't care about rules."
"Of course he doesn't," Harry whispered, "because Snape's never going to deduct points from his own House."
Ron had no response to that.
Before long, Professor Gold led the group of young wizards to his office. For most of them, this was their first time setting foot inside—aside from Harry and his friends, of course.
After all, Professor Gold rarely even assigned homework, let alone invited students to his office.
So everyone looked around curiously.
"Professor, is this where the nature reserve you mentioned is located?" asked Cho Chang, a second-year student, with wide, curious eyes.
At first glance, the place looked like nothing more than an ordinary office.
"Of course it's not just an ordinary office. The reserve is inside," Harry said before the professor could answer, surprising even himself.
He normally wasn't one to speak up, but for some reason, answering Cho's question made him feel oddly pleased—especially when she turned to look at him, her eyes bright with interest. Half of that gleam was curiosity about what he'd said… the other half, unmistakably, was about him, the famous "Boy Who Lived."
Professor Gold smiled knowingly. Foreign kids really did mature early, he mused—but he also noticed that a certain Hufflepuff third-year nearby looked ready to faint from secondhand stress.
"Harry's right," he said with a chuckle. "The reserve is inside. Follow me."
With a flick of his wand, the professor unlocked a heavily enchanted door. The protective spellwork was so strong that no simple Alohomora could possibly open it.
The group stepped through his office, then passed two more doors before finally arriving.
Just as it had been for Harry's first visit, the others were left speechless by the sight before them.
Golden morning sunlight bathed the emerald plains, each blade of grass glittering with dew. In the distance, snowcapped peaks still slumbered beneath the shadow of dawn. Mist drifted across ancient forests, and far off, wind howled through the desert's edge.
"This is bloody brilliant!"
Every student's eyes went wide.
Professor Gold couldn't hide his satisfaction at their astonished faces—but before letting them loose, he made sure to remind them of the safety rules.
"Listen carefully. There are now many Pokémon living within the reserve. Some are very powerful, while others are still quite young. The kind of Pokémon you can capture will depend on your own abilities and luck.
"The plains, forests, mountains, swamps, wetlands, deserts, and canyons—where you go to find your ideal Pokémon is entirely up to you. But remember, Pokémon can be dangerous. You must act in teams, and each group must include at least one fifth-year student."
He waved his wand, and more than thirty backpacks appeared in a neat line before them.
"Come collect your gear," he said.
Each bag contained six Poké Balls and a two-way mirror.
"You each have six Poké Balls. If you run out and still fail to capture a Pokémon, you'll have to wait until next time. If you encounter danger, use the two-way mirror to call for help.
"Understood?"
"Yes, Professor!"
Thirty young wizards shouted in unison.
"Good."
From there, Professor Gold didn't intend to interfere. The reserve was vast, and he had given them plenty of time—both this afternoon and tomorrow's—to explore freely.
Forming teams wasn't difficult; House allegiances took care of that. But of course, a few students preferred to mix between Houses.
For example, a certain someone-who-shall-not-be-named—Cedric Diggory.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't officially acquainted with Cho yet, nor was he a senior student, so he didn't have the right to act independently.
"Hey! Ron, Fred, George!" Percy's voice echoed across the field. As one of Gryffindor's prefects—and the eldest Weasley brother present—he clearly felt it was his duty to keep an eye on his younger siblings.
His younger brothers, however, wanted nothing to do with that.
"Teaming up with Percy would be a nightmare," said Fred flatly.
"A waking nightmare," George agreed instantly.
For once, Ron didn't argue. He nodded vigorously and muttered to Harry and Hermione, "Percy has zero sense of humor. He'll spend the whole time bossing us around like some kind of Ministry official."
"So what do you two think?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, we'll be in the same team, right?"
"Of course," Harry and Hermione said together.
"But we still need a fifth-year to join us," Hermione reminded him.
Harry's eyes lit up. "I've got someone in mind."
Before Percy could corner them, they managed to find Oliver Wood first—a move that clearly annoyed Percy to no end.
"So," Wood asked, glancing across the vast reserve, "do you have a target Pokémon in mind? This place is incredible… I wish we could play Quidditch here."
"Actually," Harry said, narrowing his eyes toward the horizon, "we already have our first target."
Just then, three familiar Pokémon came bounding toward them.
"Those are the ones that helped you fight the troll, aren't they?" Wood asked, astonished.
"That's right!" Harry replied with a grin.
(End of Chapter)